Jarielys Giraud digs a ball in the Ashland University Invitational

Women's Volleyball Hosts Three Home Matches At Wildcat Classic This Weekend

9/11/2025 12:06:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Director of Athletics Communications | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

HOME, SWEET HOME
The Daemen University women's volleyball team makes their 2025 Lumsden Gymnasium debut this weekend with three matches at their home tournament, the Wildcat Classic presented by Ellicott Hotels. The Wildcats will open up the tournament on Friday night with a 6 PM match against the Clarion Golden Eagles in their sole match of the day. On Saturday, the Wildcats will host the Dallas Baptist Patriots at 12:30 PM and wrap up the tournament against the Wayne State Warriors at 6:30 PM.

LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEKEND
The Wildcats come into the Wildcat Classic with a 2-2 record after splitting both days last weekend at the Ashland University Invitational. In the first ever match under first year head coach Kaysie Shebeneck on Friday, Daemen fell 1-3 (25-22, 17-25, 25-27, 17-25) to Indiana (Pennsylvania). 13 Wildcats were featured in the match, including six players making their Daemen debut. The Wildcats rebounded in their second match of the day, topping West Liberty 3-1 (25-16, 25-21,15-25, 25-23) in the Friday nightcap for Shebeneck's first win as a head coach and Daemen's first win of the season. On Saturday, Daemen dropped their first match of the day in a 0-3 (19-25, 26-28, 16-25) loss to host Ashland but again picked up a win in the second match of the day, topping Ursuline 3-1 (25-19, 26-25, 25-16, 26-24) in the tournament finale.

STAT CATS
Senior outside hitter Nahirka Malpica (Caguas, P.R.) put on a show at the Ashland University Invitational, totaling double-digit kills in all four matches and posting a team-high 53 kills (3.53 kills/set) on the weekend while adding 27 digs and nine blocks. The only Daemen player to hit in the double figures for all four matches at the tournament, the 2025 East Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year also posted her first double-double of the year in the season opener, totaling 13 kills and 15 digs against IUP.

Freshman outside hitter Keira Mullen (Farmingdale, N.J.) had a successful Daemen debut weekend with 32 kills (2.13 kills/set) and 11 blocks. Starting in all four matches for the Cats, Mullen posted a season-high 11 kills in her first collegiate match against IUP. She added a season-high three aces against Ursuline in the tournament finale.

Newcomer Solé Rancy (Columbus, Ohio) also had a stellar first collegiate tournament this past weekend. The freshman middle blocker led Daemen at the net with 16 total blocks to average an ECC-high 1.23 blocks/set, totaling 14 block assists and two solo blocks over three starts. She added five kills to her stat line, posting a season-high three kills against Ashland.

Junior middle blocker Kate Trueblood (Granger, Ind.) started all four matches and played in all 15 sets for the Cats this weekend while standing tall at the net, finishing with 15 blocks (1.0 blocks/set) and 16 kills (1.07 kills/set). Trueblood posted a career-high six total blocks in the season opener against IUP along with hitting six kills with zero errors on 13 attacks for a .462 clip in the loss to the Crimson Hawks.

Sophomore libero Jarielys Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) played well in her debut weekend, totaling 41 digs (2.73 digs/set), 15 assists and five aces. Giraud posted double-digit digs in both matches on Friday, including a career-high 17 digs against IUP in the season opener.

EARLY TOURNEYS
This will be the second of three early season tournaments that the Wildcats are participating in to open up 2025. After taking on four matches in two days in the Ashland University Invitational, the Cats play three matches during the Wildcat Classic this weekend and next weekend will head to New Castle, Del. to play in the Wildcat Regional Invitational where they will play in four matches over two days against regional opponents from the Northeast-10 and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC).

PRESEASON POLL POSITION
Winners of the past four ECC regular season titles, the Wildcats were voted third in the 2025 ECC Preseason Coaches Poll. Mercy University (40 points) led the league in the preseason poll, followed by 2024 ECC Tournament winners D'Youville University (38 points) and Daemen (37 points). Queens College follows closely in fourth place with 36 points. Molloy University (19) and Roberts Wesleyan University (19) are tied for fifth, and St. Thomas Aquinas College (7) rounds out the poll in seventh place.

UP NEXT
Daemen will face Holy Family of the CACC on Friday, Sept. 19 at 9 AM and Franklin Pierce of the NE-10 on Friday at 3 PM in the first day of matches at the Wildcat Regional Invitational next weekend. The Cats will wrap up the tournament on Saturday (Sept. 20) with matches against Adelphi (NE-10) at 11 AM and host Wilmington (CACC) at 3 PM.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen women's volleyball program on X and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.

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